{"id":13942,"date":"2025-03-13T08:36:55","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T12:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/?p=13942"},"modified":"2025-03-13T08:36:57","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T12:36:57","slug":"purdue-students-pitch-bold-solutions-to-global-problems-receive-cash-prizes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/Q1\/purdue-students-pitch-bold-solutions-to-global-problems-receive-cash-prizes","title":{"rendered":"Purdue students pitch bold solutions to global problems, receive cash prizes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/purdueinnovates.org\/incubator\/\">Purdue Innovates Incubator<\/a> awarded $5,500 to five teams of Purdue University students during the finals of the <a href=\"https:\/\/purdueinnovates.org\/incubator\/moonshot-pitch-challenge\/\">Moonshot Pitch Challenge<\/a>, a semiannual, ideation-focused competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Winning teams ideated solutions challenging stigma associated with substance abuse disorder, validating feeding tube placement, alleviating menopausal hot flashes, providing options for growing plants in small spaces and creating a campuswide bike-sharing device and platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Moonshot Pitch Challenge provides Purdue students a platform to address global challenges by ideating bold, audacious solutions,\u201d said Doug Applegate, Incubator associate director. \u201cThey are taking the next giant leaps to solve those challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Active Purdue undergraduate and graduate students across all colleges were eligible to compete. More than 60 teams submitted a video to explain the problem they were addressing and to propose their solution. Solutions were grouped into one of three categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Moonshot: Ideas primarily focused on solving a seemingly impossible problem.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Orbit: Ideas primarily focused on business-to-business solutions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Earth: Ideas primarily focused on addressing socioeconomic needs and challenges.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>On March 6, 15 finalist teams had two minutes to pitch their solutions to judges. Submissions for the fall 2025 Moonshot Pitch Challenge will begin in September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"876\" height=\"493\" src=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Moonshot-Spring25-secondary1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13930\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Moonshot-Spring25-secondary1.jpg 876w, https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Moonshot-Spring25-secondary1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Moonshot-Spring25-secondary1-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Team echoSURE and team PECO Band, winners of the Orbit and Moonshot categories in the spring 2025 Moonshot Pitch Challenge. (Purdue Research Foundation photo\/Brad Oppenheim)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Winning teams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>First-place teams in each category received $1,500 apiece. Teams that won the Best Pitch and Crowd Favorite awards received $500 each. The winners were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Earth category:<\/strong> Boiler Substance Awareness Network (BSAN), an augmented reality\/virtual reality simulation that engages participants in the reality of substance use disorder to challenge stigma and reduce barriers to recovery. Team members are Alyssa Collins, Rachel Isaac and Claire Wolfer-Jenkins <a href=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/science\/\">College of Science<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Isaac said BSAN\u2019s participation in the Moonshot Pitch Challenge was a pivotal opportunity to validate the team\u2019s innovative approach and expand its strategic network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBeyond the monetary prize, we benefited from engaging with industry visionaries and thought leaders, receiving critical feedback that has sharpened our future-focused strategy,\u201d she said. \u201cThe experience reinforced our commitment to disruptive innovation and provided a platform to benchmark our ideas against emerging industry trends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Isaac said the team\u2019s current focus is on strategic research and stakeholder engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe prize money and additional Moonshot resources will be leveraged to deepen our exploratory initiatives, refine our long-term road map, and ensure that any future development \u2014 including potential VR applications \u2014 aligns with our evolving strategic priorities,\u201d she said. \u201cThis agile approach allows us to remain adaptive and well positioned to seize opportunities that deliver meaningful impact over time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Orbit category:<\/strong>\u00a0echoSURE, whose goal is to replace X-rays, the current gold standard of feeding tube validation, with an attachment for the feeding tube that will save time and money while maintaining accuracy. Team members are Raishma Anwar,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.purdue.edu\/Engr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>College of Engineering<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/hhs.purdue.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>College of Health and Human Sciences<\/strong><\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/entr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation<\/strong><\/a>; and Angelica Gonzalez Ng, Jojo Ramakrishna, Haley Self, Kate Stanton and Jax Whited, all College of Engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur team enjoyed the benefit of being in an environment that enabled us to show off all our hard work, as well as get feedback on how to improve it in the future,\u201d Whited said. \u201cThe next immediate step for echoSURE is to finish our testing trials, which will lead us to using the money from the competition to finalize a prototype and launch our startup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Moonshot category:<\/strong> PECO Band, a smart wearable device that predetects and alleviates menopausal hot flashes. It offers personalized thermal comfort and adaptive support to 300 million women experiencing hot flashes globally. Rutvik Mehenge of the College of Engineering created PECO Band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Moonshot Pitch Challenge is an incredible platform to pitch ideas, gain exposure to diverse judges, receive valuable insights and build connections,\u201d Mehenge said. \u201cIt also opens doors to new opportunities and resources provided by Purdue Innovates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mehenge said the next steps for PECO Band involve developing more versions, creating a minimally viable product or beta prototype, and conducting pilot tests with users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Moonshot prize money will be used for product development, including purchasing electronic components and circuit board printing,\u201d he said. \u201cAdditionally, Moonshot and Purdue Innovates resources will help accelerate progress through networking, access to accelerator programs and intellectual property protection support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"876\" height=\"493\" src=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Moonshot-Spring25-secondary2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13931\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Moonshot-Spring25-secondary2.jpg 876w, https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Moonshot-Spring25-secondary2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Moonshot-Spring25-secondary2-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Team REMI and team Innovating Roots, winners of the Best Pitch and Crowd Favorite categories in the spring 2025 Moonshot Pitch Challenge. (Purdue Research Foundation photo\/Brad Oppenheim)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Crowd Favorite Award:<\/strong> Innovating Roots. The team\u2019s project is Floraframe, a sleek wall-mounted plant holder with a detachable drainage system for budding plant enthusiasts. It fights leaks, messes and root rot, providing an efficient and accessible option for growing plants in small spaces. Team members are Tejasvi Bhagwatkar, <a href=\"https:\/\/polytechnic.purdue.edu\/\">Purdue Polytechnic Institute<\/a> and Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Kayla Smith and Sindhu Vajrala, Purdue Polytechnic Institute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith said participating in the Moonshot Pitch Challenge provided valuable opportunities for networking with investors and mentors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt allowed us to reach a broader audience, which increased the visibility of our project,\u201d she said. \u201cAdditionally, hearing the innovative pitches from other contestants was incredibly inspiring and offered us new perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith said the prize money will go toward the development process to get the team\u2019s idea off the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe resources and mentorship from the challenge will help us refine our plan, make key connections and set us up for success as we start building and growing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best Pitch Award:<\/strong> REMI, a campus bike-sharing platform with smart, secure near-field communication, or NFC, locks and an easy-to-use app that offers a cheaper, reliable alternative to Veo and Uber. Team members are Rishit Agrawal, Mihir Chauhan and Ethan Wang, College of Science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Agrawal said participating in the Moonshot Pitch Challenge helped REMI in structuring its pitch and responding to development-focused questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt really pushed us to think critically about our business model and how we want to move forward with our product,\u201d he said. \u201cSeeing other teams\u2019 ideas also made us think differently about how we should approach our own hurdles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>REMI\u2019s immediate goal is to move from its 3D-printed smart lock prototype to industrial, weatherproof locks made of hardened steel or titanium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe will also launch a website with a waitlist for our first 100 users, giving away a free lock in return for their feedback,\u201d Agrawal said. \u201cThe prize money and Moonshot\u2019s resources will help us build our hardware and eventually get our platform running at Purdue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Honor roll of finalists and judges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Other teams in the finals were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>AutoAdvisor: Neil Agrawal and Anteo Jafari, College of Engineering<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>BIOMARS: Nitya Jhaveri, College of Science, and Manya Kadiwala, <a href=\"https:\/\/ag.purdue.edu\/\">College of Agriculture<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The C.L.A.W.: Henry Bravata, Purdue Polytechnic Institute; Monet Gruft, College of Engineering; Anthony Huizar, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cla.purdue.edu\/\">College of Liberal Arts<\/a> and Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation; and Pranav Kumar, College of Engineering<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>EcoDoor: Mason Bohland, Purdue Polytechnic Institute; Jack Bolster, College of Liberal Arts; Aden Godsey, College of Engineering and Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation; and Andrew Shelley, Purdue Polytechnic Institute and Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>K\u2019Air: Connor Harris, Purdue Polytechnic Institute, and Kaitlyn Tu, the <a href=\"https:\/\/business.purdue.edu\/\">Mitch Daniels School of Business<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lotz Mobile: Alexander Cole, Purdue Polytechnic Institute and Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Max Shepard, College of Liberal Arts and Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>MindField: Dalton Aaker, College of Engineering and Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>OGON Shield: Luke Hong, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, and Nathan Lee, College of Engineering<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reflective: Rohin Inani, College of Science and Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Task Master: Andrew Watts, Purdue Polytechnic Institute and Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Moonshot Pitch Challenge judges were Davide Dantonio, gener8tor; Larry Fultz, Cutting Edge Industrial Technologies and the Indiana Manufacturing Competitiveness Center; Collin Harbison, Dearing Group; Nathan Hartman, Purdue Polytechnic Institute; Joe Indiano, Apeiron Network and Amicio Group; and Lucas Woody, NextBetter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s inspiring to see how these initiatives enable Purdue students to capitalize on their strong engineering expertise to develop deep-tech solutions and, sometimes, even physical prototypes,\u201d Dantonio said. \u201cMoreover, the students\u2019 business acumen stood out as they confidently detailed market-sizing, customer validation, monetization and funding pathways, bridging ambitious campus ideas to real-world applications.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About Purdue Innovates Incubator<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/purdueinnovates.org\/incubator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Purdue Innovates Incubator<\/a> is the front door to the rich ecosystem of programs and services designed to help early-stage startups take their next step. Programs provide settings for cohort work and one-on-one consultations with entrepreneurs-in-residence. Content includes clarifying problems from the customer\u2019s perspective, developing a business model, conducting customer discovery interviews, team building, determining regulatory pathways and legal structures, and more. Purdue alumni and community members interested in becoming mentors are invited to contact the Purdue Incubator team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About Purdue University<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue\u2019s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap \u2014 including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative \u2014 at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/president\/strategic-initiatives\">https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/president\/strategic-initiatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"note\" class=\"post-content__attribution \">\n    <div class=\"columns\"> \n                    <div class=\"column\"> \n                <p class=\"post-content__source\">\n                    <strong>Media contact:<\/strong> Steve Martin, <a href=\"mailto:sgmartin@prf.org\">sgmartin@prf.org<\/a>                <\/p>\n            <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. \u2014 Purdue Innovates Incubator awarded $5,500 to five teams of Purdue University students during the finals of the Moonshot Pitch Challenge, a semiannual, ideation-focused competition. Winning teams ideated solutions challenging stigma associated with substance abuse disorder, validating<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":13932,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[316],"tags":[],"department":[],"source":[35],"purdue_today_topic":[],"coauthors":[44],"class_list":["post-13942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prf","source-purdue-research-foundation"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13942"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13944,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13942\/revisions\/13944"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13942"},{"taxonomy":"department","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/department?post=13942"},{"taxonomy":"source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/source?post=13942"},{"taxonomy":"purdue_today_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/purdue_today_topic?post=13942"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=13942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}